Here we are. The final chapter.
Chapter 111: After Stories - The Usurper
How many years had passed since his death? How many years had passed since his failure? Zant did not know. Time held no meaning in this world between life and what came after.
To the left, to the right, and every direction in between, it was all the same. A blackened expanse under a golden sky. There were no mountains or trees; not a blade of grass or another soul to be seen. This realm was his alone. It brought Zant both anguish and comfort of how much it reminded him of his former home.
The sole distraction from this purgatory was his window to the lands of the living. The visions started shortly after Zant arrived here. Glimpses of the Twilight Kingdom. Sights of Hyrule. Both the worlds of light and twilight moved on without him. Only Midna had mourned Zant's passing; and even then, she did so only briefly. She claimed the throne that he had reduced to dust and rallied the subjects who hissed his name. Everything he had worked towards simply blew away in the wind.
What had it all been for? The betterment of the twili? Justice for the wrongs committed upon their ancestors? Freedom for the current generation from their persecutors' cruel apathy? Zant had believed in those goals. That was until Midna and her human champion confronted his master, Ganondorf.
Zant heard every word from Ganondorf's lips. Every sneer, every mocking tone, every bark of laughter towards Zant and his loyal service. He had been led, used, groomed for his purpose, and thrown aside when he was no longer needed. He had sacrificed everything for his faith! It had all been for naught!
His soul could have crumbled. This hellscape could collapse on itself and Zant would have welcomed it. He had lived his life as a fool. Had Ganondorf not found him to spill his poison into Zant's ear, how might his life had been different? His mother would still have been alive. His sister would still have loved him. His kingdom would still be sealed in the darkness, but they would have been at peace if he had led them kindly.
At such a young age, he never stood a chance against Ganondorf's sweet words. Perhaps that was why the true gods; not mere pretenders; had seen fit to banish him here instead of the pits of hell as Zant deserved. All that he knew of their reasons was a whisper in the back of his mind: that he was being given a chance. For what, he could not say. Penance? Redemption? Surely not for a man who betrayed everything his family stood for in the pursuit of false promises.
The visions of life did not cease with Ganondorf's plunge into the fountain of demise. Midna was reduced to weakness, having raged on Zant's behalf. Her lover laid cursed and scarred beyond recognition beside her. Together they forged an understanding between light and twilight. Freedom for both worlds. Time passed. Cities were rebuilt. New life was born and nurtured. It all did so without him. That was for the best, he supposed.
How many years had passed until footsteps brought Zant to lift his head? What cruel joke was being played on his eyes when his sister, Midna, walked towards him. She looked aged to her final days, yet still as youthful as Zant remembered. Tears burned down his face as Zant threw himself at her feet, pleading for her forgiveness. Midna knelt and took him into her arms. Zant cried for another eternity as she whispered kind words into his ear.
Midna sat with him in this forsaken realm for a time. She told Zant about the many years of hardships and joy she had experienced. She told him of her daughter who risked her life and limb to heal her parents' bodies, allowing Midna to stand and dance with her child as her husband watched with two elated, tearful eyes. She told Zant of the hope she felt for the future as her life slipped away in her sleep.
In time, the hylian hero arrived as well. Thinly veiled contempt hung in his gaze as it fell upon Zant. It shifted openly to love as it turned to Midna. She embraced Zant one last time before standing to join her beloved. Together, they disappeared into the world beyond this one. Zant felt much of his pain vanish with them. However, it seemed that his chance had not come just yet.
How many years had passed until Zant saw another soul? How many centuries had passed when a youth garbed in green appeared in his domain? Their face was tinged with teal. The sword on their back was ordinary, belonging to someone inexperienced in their purpose. After marvelling at the scene around them, the young hero locked eyes with Zant.
"Who are you?"
"A spirit with lingering regrets." Zant rose. A whisper sung into the back of his mind. "The blood of the noble twili runs through you. With it, you walk both in shadow and in light."
He could see into the child's past and present. Their future strayed in many directions not yet set in stone. "The power you wield is weak. Undeveloped. If you intend to protect what you value most, you must master the might of your bloodlines to their fullest. I shall teach you the secrets of shadow, so that those that live in darkness cannot hide from you." Zant could see that the child was frightened yet intrigued. They did not shy away as Zant approached them.
"Now," he said. "Let's get started."
Thank you all once again for sharing this journey with me. This story has held a big place in my heart over the last six years, and I'm proud to finally reach the end with it. With this final chapter, I feel satisfied. I feel ready to let go of the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and move on fully to new things. This does not mean the end of fan fiction for me, though. I'll be around. Still reading. Still writing.
